Last summer we had to say goodbye to the old “Victor” powerboat in Maine. It was 19 years old and feeling its age. Nice as it was – a 1987 Stingray bow rider with 120 hp Mercruiser inboard/outboard engine – the damn thing increasingly just wouldn’t start! I would spend more time trying to get it going than I would spend cruising out on Pleasant Lake! Finally things reached crisis proportions. The engine died completely. It would cost more to replace the engine than the boat itself was worth! So I sold it for salvage/parts to a local who collected boats to refurbish as wintertime projects. Good luck to him! It gets pretty damn cold in Maine in the winter!

Going back to my Camp Powhatan boating roots, I decided that I wanted, instead, a good, reliable outboard. Also, a smaller, quicker boat. After shopping the late season market at the many marinas along Route 302, I finally saw what I wanted. A brand new Boston Whaler 130 Sport with either a 25 or 40 hp Mercury outboard. It was already the third week in August and the summer was drawing quickly to a close. Most summer people leave just after Labor Day. I was in a big time buyer’s market!

Jordan Bay Marina on Route 302 was where I had seen my boat. I had done a lot of small business with them before, buying cleats, shackles and other dock and boat fittings over the years. Now I wanted a big ticket item. The sticker price was more than $14,000. But since I was in no rush, I had a very good bargaining position. I could easily wait until next summer to buy. The people at the marina were anxious to sell, so, after a successful sea trial on Little Sebago Lake, I agreed to buy for $10,500, with free winter storage and a $500 incentive rebate from Boston Whaler. A hell of a deal!

Please go to the Boston Whaler web site at: http://www.whaler.com/Rec/default3.asp?boatid=3 where you will see photos and specifications for this nice boat. I opted for 25hp to start, as that cranked it along at over 30mph, flat out. When I take delivery this summer I will add a BW red Bimini style sun top and a full length boat cover. Also, the name on the side: “Victor II”.

I had considered naming her “Gray Falcon”. Why? Well, the two mythical sons of Chief Powhatan (after which our old summer boys camp on Pleasant Lake was named) were Red Eagle and Gray Falcon. My good old buddy across the lake, Bob Toll (Chairman, Toll Brothers), has a big sailboat named “Red Eagle”, but he also had named his corporate Lear jet “Gray Falcon”. Besides, a portion of our Dad’s (Victor) ashes are in Pleasant Lake, so his namesake should fittingly cruise about above them. I’ll post photos of it in action this summer, once I have taken delivery of it at the Casco boat ramp in early July. I can’t wait!